The destruction of the statue of Jesus Christ... a witness to the organized savagery of the occupation soldiers

Archbishop Atallah Hanna: This behavior is part of an extremist colonial culture, a phenomenon reflecting a worrying escalation in hate speech against everything Christian.Father Ibrahim Faltas: What happened cannot be treated as an individual act, but rather reflects an extremist way of thinking based on desacralizing the other and justifying aggression against them.Father Abdullah July: The occupation's announcement of an investigation into the incident cannot be separated from attempts to whitewash its image before the world in an effort to contain global anger.Sheikh Ibrahim Awadallah: Believers in the truths of religions and their noble values refrain from accepting insults to other religions and their symbols, no matter the disagreement.Dr. Majed Saqr: What happened in Lebanon constitutes a clear violation of the values of mutual respect among followers of religions and reflects behavior that should be firmly opposed.Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef: What happened reveals that the destruction goes beyond material damage to reach the level of contempt for all religions... and Palestinians have experienced similar situations.Issam Baker: The attack on a Christian religious symbol reveals systematic ideological nourishment based on hatred and animosity, reproducing a discourse of racial and religious superiority.Ramallah - Exclusive to "Al-Quds" - The wave of anger is still raging after an Israeli occupation army soldier recently destroyed a statue of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, and the Holy Cross in the town of Debel, Bint Jbeil district, southern Lebanon. The incident is considered a direct affront to a religious symbol that holds deep spiritual significance for Christians, a dangerous transgression of the sanctity of religious sites in the region, and a witness to the organized absurdity of the occupation soldiers.

Christian and Muslim clerics and national figures, in separate interviews with "Al-Quds", believe that this aggression cannot be treated as an isolated individual incident, but rather falls within a continuous context of Israeli occupation violations targeting religious symbols, reflecting a rise in hate speech and extremism, and raising fears of attempts to push the political conflict towards more dangerous religious dimensions for the peoples of the region, noting that what happened comes in the context of repeated incidents against Christian and Islamic holy sites, as happened in several areas of the Palestinian territories.

They emphasize that targeting the statue carries implications that go beyond material destruction, constituting an attack on the values of respect for religious symbols, calling for the necessity of serious international action to put an end to attacks on holy sites, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent their recurrence in light of the escalating tensions in the region.

Unprecedented barbaric and racist act Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox, confirms that the act of an Israeli soldier destroying the Holy Cross and the statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Debel, Bint Jbeil district, southern Lebanon, is an "unprecedented barbaric and racist act," stressing that what happened represents an unacceptable attack on a religious symbol that holds deep spiritual significance for Christians around the world.

Hanna points out that the desecration of the Holy Cross cannot be viewed as mere vandalism of a religious landmark, but rather a direct targeting of Christian faith and doctrine, stressing that respect for religious symbols in all religions must remain a constant human and moral principle that is not subject to any political or ideological considerations, affirming that any attack on holy sites, whatever its source, requires a clear stance from every person of conscience and responsibility.

While Archbishop Atallah Hanna affirms the rejection of attacks on religious symbols, he stresses that this should not obscure a more painful truth, which is the continuous attack on the human being himself, pointing out that the killing of Lebanese and Palestinians and targeting them in the Gaza Strip over the past two years is no less serious or brutal than the attack on religious symbols, but rather goes beyond that because the human being is the essence of divine messages and the goal of religious values.

Hanna explains that religious symbols are primarily linked to human beings, and that whoever attacks a human being commits an act no less barbaric than attacking the Cross or any other sacred symbol, pointing out that the occupation, in its essence, represents a daily attack on human dignity, and on the right of peoples to life, freedom, and security.

Behavior that is not strange Hanna considers that this behavior is not strange or new, but rather comes within the context of an entrenched extremist culture within some colonial circles, noting that Christian clerics in Jerusalem are repeatedly subjected to insults and spitting while passing near churches or in public roads, in a phenomenon that reflects a worrying escalation in hate speech against everything Christian, in addition to attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in the Holy City.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna calls for strengthening universal human values, and rejecting hatred, racism, and extremism in all its forms, emphasizing the necessity of respecting every person's right to practice their religious rituals freely and safely.

Hanna stresses that Palestinian churches, in addition to rejecting harm to the Cross, continue to raise their voices for an end to the aggressions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people and the peoples of the region, calling on the international community not to be content with condemning attacks on religious symbols, but also to act to stop the ongoing suffering in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna says: "The occupation is more dangerous than any attack on a religious symbol, because symbols remain, but it is the human being who pays the price every day due to the practices of the occupation."

Targeting spiritual and human meanings Father Ibrahim Faltas of the "Custody of the Holy Land" confirms that the incident of destroying the statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Debel, Bint Jbeil district, represents an absolutely unacceptable attack, not only because it targeted a sacred religious symbol for Christians, but also because it directly affects the spiritual and human meanings embodied by this symbol in the conscience of believers, foremost among them love, peace, and hope.

Faltas explains that the seriousness of the incident does not lie in the material act itself, but in the deeper implications it carries, as an indicator of the decline of mutual respect among people, and the transformation of religious symbols, which are supposed to be a unifying space for spiritual peace, into direct targets of violence and hatred.

Faltas stresses that condemnation in such incidents should not be understood as merely an emotional reaction, but as a principled stance to defend freedom of belief and preserve human dignity, regardless of religious or cultural affiliation.

A pattern of extremist thinking Faltas points out that what happened cannot be treated as an isolated individual act, but rather reflects, even partially, a pattern of extremist thinking based on desacralizing the other, justifying aggression against them, and viewing those who are religiously or intellectually different as worthless or without sanctity.

Faltas warns that this type of thinking, if left unchallenged, does not threaten a specific group, but rather deeply undermines the foundations of human coexistence and the values on which diverse societies are built.

Faltas stresses that dealing with the incident must go beyond verbal condemnation to clear practical steps, starting with transparent accountability for all who attack religious symbols, considering that justice is the dividing line between a state of law and chaos, through promoting a culture of respect for religions through educational institutions and media, to supporting a responsible religious discourse that re-emphasizes shared human values, foremost among them human dignity and the sanctity of life.

The danger of this thinking with power Faltas points out that the most dangerous aspect of the incident is that the perpetrator was a military soldier wearing his official military uniform, considering that this issue cannot be ignored, because it reveals the possibility of this extremist ideology infiltrating the army, and therein lies the danger if force is used to express rejection of the other.

Faltas stresses that this carries two dangerous implications: either a state of indifference towards these behaviors, or a feeling by the perpetrators that there is protection or a guarantee that prevents them from being held accountable in a deterrent manner.

Direct assault on human conscience Father Abdullah July considers that the recent act of an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Debel, Bint Jbeil district, southern Lebanon, represents a direct assault on the Arab and Palestinian human conscience, both Muslim and Christian, due to its deep affront to religious feelings and sacred symbols that hold a special place among believers.

July affirms that the destruction of the statue of Jesus Christ, in addition to the desecration of the symbol of the Cross and statues of the Virgin Mary, constitutes a clear offense to the feelings of believers, because these symbols do not represent mere inanimate objects, but rather store deep spiritual and human meanings for Christians in the East and the world.

July stresses that the impact of the incident is doubled because it occurred in southern Lebanon, a region emotionally linked to a long history of coexistence between Muslims and Christians, and in a land dear to the hearts of all the people of the region.

July points out that what happened reveals a lack of respect for human and religious values, affirming that targeting holy symbols reflects a dangerous level of arrogance and contempt, and expresses an aggressive mentality that goes beyond attacking stone to attacking the human being himself and his spiritual and cultural identity.

July believes that these practices fall within a broader context of a war that targets both land and people, and reflects the injustice suffered by Palestinians and Arabs in more than one place.

The danger of the conflict turning religious July warns that the seriousness of the incident opens the door to transforming the political conflict into a religious conflict, which is the most dangerous thing the region can face at this stage.

July affirms that Christians and Muslims in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria are people of one nation, united by a shared past, present, and destiny, hence the greater anger at what this soldier did.

Attempts to whitewash the occupation's image before the world July believes that the occupation's announcement of an investigation into the incident cannot be separated from attempts to whitewash its image before the world, at a time when facts reveal an escalation of hate speech, and as an attempt to contain global anger over the incident.

Father July calls on the international community to assume its moral and humanitarian responsibilities, and to work seriously to achieve justice for the Arab peoples and the Palestinian people, stressing that the continuation of injustice in the Holy Land and the region will keep it hostage to war and hatred, noting that ending this reality is the only way to open the path to a just peace that puts an end to the suffering of the peoples of the region.

Extremism in rejecting the other, their ideas, and their existence His Eminence Sheikh Ibrahim Awadallah, Deputy Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and Mufti of Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, stresses that the differences among people in beliefs and ideas are an undeniable reality, but the problem lies in how this reality is dealt with.

Awadallah points out that some people become extreme in rejecting the other, their ideas, and their existence, and act based on this extremism, disregarding people's freedoms, beliefs, and cultures. Our true Islamic faith is distinguished by leaving people to choose their religions, as evidenced by the divine address to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to convey to those who differ with him in belief and religion, as Allah Almighty said: "To you be your religion, and to me my religion," and He also said: "There shall be no compulsion in religion."

Awadallah confirms that the Commander of the Faithful, Omar ibn al-Khattab, relied on this logic when he conquered Jerusalem, and this was evident in the Pact of Omar, in which he granted security to the people of Jerusalem for themselves, their churches, and their crosses, knowing that harming a protected non-Muslim (dhimmi) is equal in sin to harming a Muslim.

As for the extremists, according to Awadallah, they despise others, extort and oppress them, and strip themselves of the values of tolerance towards them. When opportunities arise, they do not hesitate to shed innocent blood and violate sanctities that Allah has forbidden to harm. Rather, they boast about what they commit.

Awadallah emphasizes that it is strangely astonishing that some of them commit their crimes in the name of religion, and as an act of worship to God, as they claim. Neither the blessed tree whose oil shines as if it were light, nor the bowing elders, nor the grazing animals, nor the temples and mosques where people worship their Lord, have been safe from their evil. They have spread corruption on earth, believing themselves to be reformers. Otherwise, what about the symbols of human and other religions, that they should harm them and eliminate their existence, while they take pictures and publish them publicly as a way of boasting, arrogance, and disregard for religions and their followers.

Awadallah explains that believers in the truths of religions and their noble values refrain from accepting insults to other religions and their symbols, no matter the disagreement that sometimes exists between them and the beliefs of their opponents. If Allah had willed, He would have made people one nation, but divine will necessitated the existence of disagreement and difference among human beings.

Awadallah stresses the prohibition of attacking people's holy sites, because the final judgment between them will be on the Day of Resurrection, and there they will be judged with divine justice and divine right. There is no justification for presuming to be God, and assuming some of His prerogatives, to eliminate the existence of opponents and their holy sites, which means the necessity of condemning attacks on religions and their symbols, and the obligation to demand a strict end to these crimes, which included tearing and burning the Quran, insulting and demeaning prophets, and violating the sanctity of mosques and churches, which Allah commanded to protect from desecration, and even commanded to defend their sanctity, as stated in His Almighty saying: "And if Allah had not repelled [some] people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned would have been demolished."

The necessity of respecting the beliefs of others Dr. Majed Saqr, Director of the Department for the Preparation of Preachers at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, affirms his rejection and condemnation of any attack targeting religious landmarks and symbols, stressing that respecting the beliefs of others represents an authentic principle in the Islamic religion, which calls for preserving holy sites and not harming them, regardless of differing religious or doctrinal references.

Saqr stresses that any attack on a religious symbol, whether Islamic, Christian, or belonging to any other religion, is an unacceptable and condemned behavior, explaining that an attack on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is no different in its seriousness from an attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, because both represent a religious and human symbol whose sanctity and status must be preserved.

Saqr points out that what happened recently in Lebanon against a Christian religious symbol by an occupation army soldier constitutes a clear violation of the values of mutual respect among followers of religions, and reflects behavior that should be firmly opposed.

Saqr affirms that rejecting attacks on holy sites and religious symbols is not just a fleeting stance, but an ethical and humanitarian commitment aimed at protecting the historical and cultural identity of peoples, ensuring freedom of worship, and preventing the ignition of strife and conflicts that may result from targeting religious symbols.

Preserving religious symbols is a collective responsibility Saqr points out that preserving these landmarks must be a collective responsibility shared by religious institutions, governments, and international organizations.

Saqr calls for global action to protect religious landmarks by enacting clear and deterrent laws, and providing bodies capable of defending holy sites and preventing attacks on them, stressing that insulting prophets or religious symbols, whether through drawings, writings, or any other means, cannot be considered personal freedom or a legitimate expression of opinion, but rather constitutes a crime that requires legal accountability, because respect for religions must be a duty that everyone adheres to without exception.

Organized absurdity Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and coordinator of the National and Islamic Forces, considers that the act of an Israeli soldier destroying the statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Debel cannot be viewed as an isolated incident, but rather falls within the state of "organized absurdity" practiced by the occupation soldiers, which is based on disrespect for the other, whether in their religious beliefs, their lives, or their property.

According to Abu Yousef, this behavior reflects an extremist mentality that has repeatedly appeared in the practices of occupation soldiers, who do not hesitate to shoot civilians, destroy property, or treat people's lives as worthless. Abu Yousef points out that the same scene was repeated in the Gaza Strip, where occupation soldiers destroyed and tampered with homes, while snipers targeted children, women, and civilians in the context of a systematic killing policy targeting Palestinians.

Abu Yousef explains that the destruction of a Christian religious symbol in Lebanon reveals that the issue goes beyond material destruction, reaching the level of contempt for all religions, noting that Palestinians have experienced similar forms of this approach in Jerusalem, whether through repeated attacks on worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque, or preventing Christians from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in addition to provocative practices against Christian clerics, including harassing them while they are on their way to places of worship.

Abu Yousef stresses that these actions reflect an extremist culture that does not recognize the sanctity of other religions, nor respects fundamental human values, warning that the continuation of this approach threatens stability in the entire region, especially in light of the occupation government and its army's disregard for state sovereignty and international humanitarian and legal norms.

Reflection of the same attacks in Palestine Abu Yousef points out that what settlers are doing in the West Bank and Jerusalem falls within the same context, through carrying out attacks, burning property, and directly targeting Palestinians under the protection of the occupation army, noting that the arming of settlers by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with tens of thousands of weapons has given them cover to continue the policy of killing and aggression against Palestinians.

Abu Yousef affirms that what is happening reflects the occupation government's insistence on imposing a colonial reality by force, through policies of demolition, expulsion, siege, and complete denial of the rights of the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region, considering that the failure to implement international legitimacy resolutions has encouraged the occupation to persist in its violations.

The importance of serious action to protect holy sites Abu Yousef calls for serious Arab, regional, and international action to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites, and to provide effective protection for the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region, in addition to pressuring for the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions, imposing sanctions on the extremist right-wing occupation government, isolating it, and holding it accountable before international courts for the crimes it commits against Palestinians and the peoples of the region, stressing that stopping this approach has become a necessity to prevent the expansion of extremism and violence in the region.

Serious moral collapse Issam Baker, member of the Central Committee of the Palestinian People's Party, confirms that the incident of destroying the statue of Jesus Christ in a town in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon represents a "serious moral collapse," reflecting an extremist ideology that does not value religions or respect freedoms or religious beliefs, considering that what happened goes beyond being an isolated incident to being an expression of a rising racist tendency based on a supremacist mentality that treats others with inferiority and discrimination.

Producing a discourse based on racial and religious superiority Baker explains that the attack on a Christian religious symbol of this magnitude reveals systematic ideological nourishment based on hatred and animosity, and reproduces a discourse based on racial and religious superiority.

Baker points out that what happened in the Lebanese town cannot be separated from the practices witnessed by Palestinians in the occupied territories, from restricting religious freedoms, imposing temporal and spatial division in Al-Aqsa Mosque, to closing it and preventing access to it, which reflects a single approach that is repeated in more than one place and targets religious symbols and the spiritual identity of peoples.

According to Baker, during the incursions into the West Bank during the Second Intifada, the occupation deliberately targeted and shelled a statue of the Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem, which led to its destruction and damage to parts of it, and then the siege of the Church of the Nativity.

Baker points out that the statue of Jesus Christ in the Lebanese town has become a witness to a "highly dangerous" tendency, because it affects the simplest human rights related to freedom of belief and respect for holy sites, warning that the continuation of this approach could lead to the spread of a state of religious and cultural tension on a wider scale, resembling "the spread of fire in dry grass," due to the deep impact it leaves on the feelings of peoples and their behavior towards the different other.

The importance of confronting extremist ideology Baker stresses that what is required today is not limited to condemning the incident, but calls for confronting the ideology behind it, as it is a destructive ideology that shatters religious and human meanings, undermines the foundations of coexistence and the right to difference, and works to ignite religious and ethnic conflicts in the region.

Baker affirms that the essence of the conflict in the region is not religious, as the occupation state tries to portray it, but rather a conflict of liberation and rights, related to the right of the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region to self-determination and to live freely within systems that express their national will.

Baker calls for strengthening the values of tolerance in the face of hate speech, and working to thwart attempts to drag the region into sectarian and ethnic wars, demanding that the international community take practical steps including imposing a comprehensive isolation and boycott on the occupation, and preventing it from continuing to violate religious and human values and the rights of individuals and groups to practice their beliefs freely and safely.